126 years of Wimbledon programme design

The first and oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon is 137 years old this year. And those lucky enough to get a ticket will be carrying at least one of three things; a glass of Pimms, a carton of strawberries and cream or a copy of this year’s Wimbledon programme, which they’ll keep for years to come. The first Wimbledon programme was created as early as 1887, and for its first 40 years, the programmes consisted entirely of text with the court map, placed on the back cover, as its only illustration. Illustrations didn’t appear on the front cover until the 1940s.